Vivienne felt absolutely wonderful amongst the crowd of humans, having taken some ecstasy, though it was quickly wearing off. A thrumming beat was sounding out from the speakers of the club in New Orleans while everyone pushed up against each other. She made sure to press up against a few people but nearly let out a sigh of relief when she finally made contact with a vampire.
Sex with humans wasn't an option anymore. If she even attempted to ride a human male she was fairly certain she'd break his back. But vampires and werewolves worked well. At times, very well.
After only a few minutes of grinding against the vampire, she turned to him and smiled widely as she tugged him – taking care to not use any more strength than a human woman would have – towards the alley. A quick fuck up against a brick wall would likely temper the incredibly tense feeling that had been building up the last few days as she had begun wandering around New Orleans. Every corner reeked of the Mikaelson family's influence. Vivienne made sure not to come across any of them but Bekah, but it was frustrating nonetheless.
However, her plans very quickly changed when instead of initiating sex, the man pinned her against the wall and attempted to bite her.
God, what an asshole.
Vivienne felt a brief moment of humor at his panic when she materialized just behind him, but decided to hurry along with the evening. As soon as her hands touched his temples, he fell to his knees. She was fairly thorough with her mind blend, and by the time she released him the vampire was slumped to the ground.
Vivienne turned away to leave the alley, but paused and instead strode back over to him. After a brief, assessing look at the man – Alexander, she'd learned – she let out an annoyed sigh and crouched down, tearing out his heart.
The vampire had been a part of a group planning an attack against Elijah next weekend. This discovery gave her a good excuse as any to begin interacting with the Original.
It wasn't exactly a surprise when Vivienne reached out to him over the phone, but Elijah was surprised when it was on a Sunday morning. Her text had been simple, dismissive if anything else.
Suzanne's Diner for 11o'clock brunch
He had quickly confirmed her sort-of-request, and decided immediately that he would not tell Niklaus of their upcoming interaction. However, now that he sat on the opposite side of a booth from her as she nonchalantly sipped on a mimosa, he wished that there was a distraction of sorts between them.
p style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"Elijah was already admittedly caught off guard when he had arrived only to find her already a mimosa and looking as though she was settled in, albeit hungover. She was wearing a pair of leggings with black heels and an enormous plain white t-shirt, matched with oversized sunglasses that she'd pushed up and off of her face, revealing smeared eye makeup.
"So, you've got trouble among the ranks of your vampire henchmen. I would have though you and Nik would be able to handle that fairly easily. Messy, messy."
Vivienne's tone was entirely mocking, especially the emphasis on his brother's nickname, so Elijah decided to simply go along with the subject.
"Minor dissent, true. But they've been extinguished quickly."
Vivienne let out a low hum and began gently tracing her fingertips around the rim of her glass, making it ring out. When she finally looked up at him and met his eyes, she seemed entirely amused.
"That isn't what Alexander thought. He and Don have gathered about fifteen individuals who are more than happy to try to overthrow you and your family, especially since it's common knowledge that you've no longer got a badass bodyguard. Like I said, messy."
Elijah opened his mouth to ask for more details, but Vivienne quickly waved him off and nonchalantly said, "I'll text you their names, although it feels a little bit like cheating. If I have to maintain my empire without any help why should I be giving you hints? But whatever, this guy pissed me off before I killed him. The asshole tried feeding on me when all I'd wanted was a back-alley fuck."
Elijah schooled his features until he was sure his expression was impassive. This woman in front of him – he didn't know her anymore. Of course physically she looked drastically different, but it was everything else. Her demeanor, her mannerisms, everything about her was unfamiliar, and therefor unpredictable.
"You've changed."
p style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium;"Vivienne's false air of pleasantry vanished, and when she narrowed her eyes at him the icy tone of her voice matched her expression.
"I'd like to think so. I'm nobody's servant anymore."
Elijah didn't want to delve into that issue, already sensing that it would cause colossal disruption, so instead he asked, "Why are you here? I'd have thought you wouldn't return after delivering Kol to us."
Vivienne's posture relaxed and she leaned back before shrugging and saying, "Boredom, mostly. Curiosity. And I did miss Bekah."
"And do you plan – "
Vivienne cut him off with an annoyed huff and chugged the rest of her mimosa before signaling to the waiter that she'd like another. Elijah had seen that she'd been getting her glass refilled as he'd been walking into the diner, so he raised an eyebrow at the behavior.
A wicked smile covered her face and she answered the unasked question when she said, "Oh, I've been wreaking havoc, don't you worry. A full-scale downward spiral into alcoholism followed by a complete takeover of the supernatural side of Manhattan. And I, unlike you, am having raging success. Just trying to be the best demon I can. I'm an untrustworthy hell spawn, remember?"
Elijah knew a pained expression must be on his face, and in turn Vivienne's features became nonchalant as she continued, "I haven't been able to return to the Underworld. I'm doing what I have to for your family so I can leave."
Before Elijah could respond, Vivienne stood up and began rifling through her wallet, throwing a fifty-dollar bill on the table before winking at their passing waiter.
She took a step away from him, but paused. Turning back to face him, she spoke calmly and firmly.
"Your family hasn't wanted me to be here for years. I'm just trying to do what we all want."
Vivienne glanced around the nearly-empty diner and seemed to note that nobody was looking at them, because she vanished a second later.
Elijah had never regretted exiling her more than he did in this moment.