Endgame ⚜ Sweet but Psycho

54. c'est la vie

2026
New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mikaelson Compound

Poppy stood in the doorway of her little sister's bedroom, her expression solemn, grim, sad. Hope was organizing the books in her bedroom, her mind all over the place in grief. She was angry, depressed, longing for her mother. The younger sister hadn't spoken to the older sister since the funeral, feeling that once she did, she would say something she'd regret. Klaus hardly made an appearance for the first part of the long day ahead of them, and Poppy didn't make her feel any better.

It was because Poppy was an absent sister, she was barely there for her entire life that she could remember. When her father left, her sister followed, and she didn't know why.

Another part of her was jealous of the relationship Poppy had with their dad. They seemed so close, like they had a good relationship, like they actually spoke with each other.

Hope was also angry. Poppy was supposedly an all powerful tribrid that should be feared by everyone, so why was she so weak? Why was it that a simple vampire could bring her to her knees? She didn't care if her sister was crippled by her emotion. When Hayley needed the tribrid the most, Poppy failed her.

Poppy watched as her sister slammed a book down on the bookshelf. "It's not fair!" Hope yelled suddenly, looking everywhere but at her sister. She didn't want to look at her.

"Hope," the tribrid spoke with a gentle and sad tone "please talk to me." She pleaded, knowing the grief would eat her sister alive if she kept going at the rate she was. "I can help you-"

"You can help me?!" The younger girl scoffed, finally looking at her with rage. "Where was that energy at when I was growing up without you and dad? When my mom was being tortured? What were you doing when she died?! You failed to save her. You were supposed to be strong and you failed!" Hope exclaimed.

The elder sister clenched her jaw for a moment, taking a deep breath. "You know what? Never mind. I'm not doing this with you." She told her, not sure if she had the emotional and mental strength to keep herself together if she were to argue with Hope. Poppy turned around to leave, spinning on her heel.

But Hope pressed further. She wanted to fight, to release her anger on somebody. "So you're running away. Again." The girl rolled her eyes. "I guess the rumors about you were wrong. You're weak."

Weak. Hope's voice echoed in Poppy's mind. It reminded her of Mikael. Weak. Poppy could feel her face transform, she could see the faint blue glow of her eyes on the wall in front of her. It infuriated her, it passed a line that was hard to get to, that hadn't been crossed in ages. If Hope wanted a fight, so be it. When she spun around, Hope was looking right at her, unfazed by her eyes and skin. "Weak." Poppy smirked, then she dropped it. "You have no idea what happened after Greta knocked you out. Hope, I suffered days and days of torture just to be thrown into the same situation not long after so I could save you, the least you could do is be grateful." She said, her face returning to normal, minus the stone expression she carried.
Poppy continued. "I wasn't able to save your mom because I was fighting against Elijah, and Original who is faster and stronger than I am. He put a stake in my chest, incapacitating me." When Hope's expression didn't falter, the tribrid spoke once more. "You want to play the blame game? Fine. Was it not you who put me and your mom in the coffins, setting us up perfectly to be taken? Was it not you who decided to sacrifice yourself to Greta, who you were also unable to fight against? Some Mikaelson witch you are."

The younger sister furrowed her eyebrows. That wasn't fair. She thought to herself. "I'm only 15!" She defended herself. "Sorry I can't be an all powerful witch. I haven't even had to chance to practice in real situations-"

"Then you're in no position to call me weak." The woman stopped her. "When I was little, I saw my mom's heart ripped from her chest. Then Mikael took away everything I loved. I was stuck in a coffin for 80 years, in agony, and when I woke up I remembered nothing. When I was around your age I was fighting vampires, and then I was fighting those we call our family. I triggered my werewolf curse, I was tortured by my best friend, and by Mikael. I was held back as I watched Kol die. And then I finally graduated."
Poppy stopped to take a deep breath, trying not to over-share and trying to control herself. "I have died over and over. I've been to literal Hell and back. It was me who killed the Devil. I killed Dahlia. I fought the Hollow and still do to this day." The tribrid released what was left of the breath she had and took another deep one. "I may be the Original Tribrid, Hope, and I am powerful but that does not mean I am free of flaw or pain. Being struck down to my knees will not make me weak. I don't want you to have to practice in real life situations, I don't want you to be in any danger which is why I left."

"We could've spoken over the phone." Hope responded quietly after a moment of thought, tears rising to her eyes. It was overwhelming, confronting her sister so shortly after her mother's death. "You could've been there for me, I need you to be here for me."

The older sister sniffled through her deep breath, trying not to break down and cry. "I'm trying!" She exclaimed, raking her fingers of both hands through her hair. "I'm trying so hard to be present for my kids and for Dad and-and I'm trying to stop everything from falling apart and on top of that I'm trying to keep myself together but it's so hard.." hot tears began to slip down the woman's cheeks "everyone I try to save ends up dying anyways—Zach and Jenna and Stefan and Hayley and Kol and Davina and Tyler...." Poppy let out a huff, her hands beginning to tremble. "I don't even know why I try anymore!" She raised her voice a bit, her hands finding themselves in her hair once more. "You're right."

"Poppy-"

"No no no." Poppy dropped her hands to her sides. "No. You're right. It's my fault Hayley's gone." She looked at her sister, tears streaming from her eyes and down her cheeks. Hope carried a guilty expression, and a sad one. A smile formed on the tribrid's lips at the sight of it, and she let out a laugh. "I may be at fault but I don't owe you a damn thing, Hope."

With that said, Poppy spun around and left the room, her smile fading rather quickly and her expression becoming one of heavy pain and grief. She stormed down the halls of the Abattoir, the air around her becoming cold from her magic, which was seeping invisibly from the pores of her skin, radiating off of her. With each step she took she became more and more down with everything that had been going on, it was all crashing down.

The tribrid entered her bedroom and collapsed in the center, her head pounding in pain and her legs too weak to stand. After a moment she lifted her head, sensing another presence in the room. "It's becoming too much, Silas." She said. "I can't do this."