Chapter 41: Jealousy is an ugly thing
"You know, I can never step foot in here without thinking of when Thierry would play the trumpet and I'd sing whatever he decided to play. God, I honestly miss the 40's"
Violet kicked open the door to Saint James and stepped inside. They had both been thinking to open it back up but at the same time they didn't want to erase any memories. Marcel followed behind her and flicked on the lights. Back in the day, it was the hottest spot in New Orleans and a lot of super natural's weren't aware of the magic boundary.
"So you are sure that this Lucien guy is going to show?"
She nodded yes and placed the box behind the bar. They all had come to agreement to meet and discuss everything over without Tristan's knowledge. Marcel hardly trusted him but he wanted to see what the big deal was him. She had confessed about their secret meetings and all the information she gathered as well.
"If the clock in here still tells the right time, he should be here any…"
Lucien had stepped right through the door before she could finish the sentence. He looked between them before adjusting his jacket to slip it off. She motioned for him to sit at the only table with three chairs. Marcel was the first to sit down as she grabbed a bottle of Whiskey from the shelf and some glasses.
"So Marcel, this is Lucien Castle, first turned vampire of Klaus's sire line which you already know. Lucien, this is Marcel Gerard, King of New Orleans and Klaus's protégée in my words at least"
The two male vampires looked at each other before looking at her once she sat down. Shifting her eyes between them, she poured the drinks as they sat in awkward silence.
"Am I going to have to do all the talking or is someone going to start?"
"How'd you two meet, why not start off with something simple?"
Marcel reached forward to grab a drink. Violet slid one to Lucien who rolled his eyes at the tension. He was there to talk about the war, not lost times. "We met at a little Jazz bar in Georgia after she had left here; word was you were going to kick her out of the city"
Violet stopped mid drink and stared at Lucien. "Can we just talk about the Strix and this whole sire line business?"
"Well when she returned home, I found out that she was worse as a Ripper than before. Funny how you came into the picture as she left, comes back and is a mess"
"Oh right, Mr Prince Charming, I'm sorry but I thought you both needed my help"
From the stories Violet had told Lucien back in the day, he already didn't like Marcel. He knew the way he kept her in line from being a Ripper and half the time wasn't pretty. Also, he knew how he had loved Rebekah for so long and tossed Violet aside as if she was nothing. And with Marcel not knowing him, he wasn't going to be threatened in his city. She turned to him with a pleading look knowing that they need Lucien on their side. If he became an enemy, this situation would become a lot worse. Violet then turned to Lucien and gave him a pleading look and of course they both gave in.
"So as you already know Tristan is from Elijah's line as well as all the members of the Strix. Long story short, we hate each other and I definitely don't want to work with him. I know power can get the best of his ego so I'm doubting that the medallion is all he wants. I know they have stakes that can neutralize the Originals and I'm pretty such a white oak stake. Sure he just wants to trap them in a place but how do I know he's not going to kill Klaus?"
"Aya wants us to bring Elijah into town so they can put him down"
Lucien laughed faintly and took his shot. Violet poured another before he spoke "Problem is, Tristan's a smart guy, he spread his connections all over the city"
Marcel rubbed his mouth and sighed heavily. Violet pulled out a little notebook that she had in her bag she carried and wrote a few things down. As the three got more comfortable, it was clear that they were going to work together.
"I didn't know that you had ties with the Crescent Wolves. I had guys put the traps out thinking they were going to catch any enemies"
"What do you mean enemies?" Marcel asked.
"Tristan has a werewolf pack on his side. One of those packs are part of the Crescent but I didn't know what little pack due to it being so large. I thought it was smart taking out some of them and making it just seemed like the humans did it and cover my tracks"
"I'll call Hayley later and see if she knows anything"
Violet spoke and continued to jot things down. The three continue to speak with drinks flowing and figuring out what to do next.
"How do I know that everything you are telling us is the truth and that I should trust you?"
"Because if Tristan decides to go kill Klaus, you know as well I that we die along with him. I don't know about you but I think I still have a long life ahead of me. I'm willing to work with you in taking him down and getting the Strix out of the city. I know him, I know everything about him, I've got insight compared to the both of you"
"He does have a point Marcel…"
After an eventful and beneficial two hours, the three vampires came to an agreement. They made plans and came up with ideas and things to do. Violet and Marcel were willing to put everything on the line to defend their city and ultimately their lives.
"I'm going to go stop by the Algier witches and see what they know about the serratura so while I'm gone, please don't kill each other"
Violet stood up and tucked her book in her bag. She waved goodbye before peeking out the window making sure no one was around. Zipping out quickly, she made her way onto Bourbon Street and into the voodoo shop. She was happy to see that Charlotte was behind the counter and not some witch she didn't know. Charlotte looked up when she heard the door opened and was surprised to see her.
"Hey, you remember that one object from a while back? I have a drawing of it and I wanted you to take a look at this"
She walked up to the counter and grabbed the book again. She placed it on the counter and began flipping through pages before realizing she hadn't said a word to her. When she looked at her, she tried to pick on the hint but she really hated the silent type.
"Miss Badeaux, pleasure I'm sure. I'm Tristan de Martel"
Violet scoffed and slammed the notebook shut. Spinning around, she came face to face with the famous Tristan that she was always hearing about. Looking him up and down, she knew that he was from Elijah's sire line by just looking at him.
"I thought you'd be taller, such a shame when you hear a name so much yet the name doesn't match the appearance, such a shame. And I prefer Violet"
She nudged the book closer to Charlotte who watched before making any sort of movement. The witch studied them both carefully before taking the book off the counter. Violet crossed her arms and leaned against it popping up an eyebrow.
"I've heard that you could have a tongue on you, Aya warned me of that" Tristan made no attempt to even look at the notebook. "I thought it was time we met, I believe it is long overdue, don't you think?"
"If I wanted to meet you, I would have done so a while back. But you decided to send Aya instead of meeting me in person, why's that?"
"I was attempting to set up a meeting time but you and Aya seem to be similar. You both like a good fight at the end of the day"
She scoffed again at the comment, she was nothing like her. Violet more or less wanted to know what Tristan was all about and what he exactly wanted with Marcel. The only thing was that he had connection to the Originals but could it have been something more than that?
"Well here I am. If you want to talk, talk"
"I think the conversation should be private" He held his hand out to her as Violet as Charloette watched from behind the counter. "Here, take this" Tristan opened his suit jacket and held out a card. It was black with gold trim and had a gold owl on the front. She smiled and hesitated but took the card. Looking it over, she knew it was a business card from the Strix.
"If you ever need to contact me, everything you need to know about us is on the back"
"So what makes Marcel so great to join the secret vampire society? Clearly I don't qualify"
"Well Marcel did a terrific job of building this city after the Original hunter burned it down. He used his own resources and didn't rely on Klaus to help him. I know about you as well Violet, I know that you helped make this city what it once was. It would be a shame to see all of your potential to go to waste. I simply want to help this city grow from kingdom to an empire"
Tucking the card in her pocket, she smirked and nodded at what he said. It still didn't make much to her, not like she wanted to be a member of them anyway. Everything he said hardly made sense to her considering her blood ran through the cities as well as Marcel's. They built it from the ashes together so what made him so special?
"Well as inviting as it sounds, I think we've got everything covered. I'll let you know when Elijah comes to town" Tristan raised his eyebrows faintly surprised that she knew what was going on. "Oh, did Marcel tell you? He's not coming to town so you can find him yourself"
"Violet, you are aware that I know about you meeting with Lucien" It was her turn to look surprised. "I'm sure he's told you all sort of stories about it. Before you believe or trust any words of his, I would suggest that you hear my side of the story as well. I know the long history between the two of you, how he left without a goodbye when you needed him the most. What makes you think you could trust him this time around?"
Tristan smiled politely and pointed to her jean pocket. "As I said, we can arrange a time to speak in a more private place. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day"
He looked her over one last time before turning his back to the door. "Oh and one more thing Violet, I would check with Marcel on Elijah's whereabouts. It seems like he's already on his way here"
Her eyes trailed down the floor then back at him. Marcel had told her that he wasn't going to bring him to the city so is Tristan lying or is Marcel? It seemed like Lucien was right on him have people all over the city because he sure as hell followed her there. Looking towards her pocket, she turned around and looked at Charlotte. She handed the notebook back and Violet tore out the picture.
"If you could do me a favor, research this thing. Cami gave this to you, then Angelique gave it to Marcel, he handed it to me and now it is in the hands of Freya. I'll be back in a couple of days"
Violet thanked her and walked out of the shop. She looked up and down Bourbon Street to checking if anyone was watching her. Now was the time to be paranoid.