Lightning Strikes Twice

Fifty Three

After Klaus and Lucien's little display, Méalla's already sour mood had deepened and now she just wants to go home, maybe a drop a few bodies on the way out. However, there's still the issue of Marcel, which seems to be finding a resolution at this very moment as Isabel turned her to see Marcel being led to the stairs and people following.

"Mr. Gerard! It's time." Tristan sounded overtly cheerful.
"You're pushing up the clock? I have another hour." Marcel sounded confused.
"And I'm afraid that an inability to improvise is the most common of failings. Either you have an answer, or you don't."
Marcel paused a moment to look at everyone in the room before finally giving his answer.
"Aya. Aya took my ring."
And the other sho was about to drop no-
Aya shrugged in amusement.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have your ri--"
Marcel cut her off before she could finish and smiled triumphantly.
"Hold up! I said you took it. I didn't say you still have it. See, after you lifted it off me, you gave it to my man Mohinder over there."
Mohinder silently held up Marcel's daylight ring, and when Tristan saw it, he looked pleased by Marcel's deductions.
"Well done! Of course, as you know, that was only half the challenge."
Tristan walked past Marcel and clapped him on the shoulder affectionately as Aya followed behind him.
Méalla felt Hayley moving into place on her left side with Elijah slightly behind as Isabel remained on her right. She could feel the glare of Hayley at Isabel's hand on her arm and at Tristan as he moved to the front of the crowd. God she needed a drink.

"There's no shame in dying at the hands of one's superior." Mohinder says to Marcel who smirked.
"There's not much glory in it, either."
Mohinder stripped off his jacket, and Marcel bounced on his heels for a moment before throwing two consecutive punches, each of which hits Mohinder in the face. However, when Marcel kicked him in the stomach, Mohinder grabbed him by the leg and threw him across the room, where he landed on a table and smashed it into pieces.
"Should I get a piece of paper to raise like they do for diving?" Méalla said dryly to Hayley and Elijah, knowing Isabel heard her just the same. None of her companions looked amused except for her dance partner.
Marcel groaned.
Hayley, looking alarmed, pushed her way to the front of the crowd as though she wants to intervene, but she stopped at the last moment. Méalla was right on her heels, Isabel and Elijah following her, and the four stood next to Tristan and Aya. Meanwhile, Marcel has just thrown off all of the broken table that landed on him, and turned to find Mohinder standing above him, looking mildly pleased by his quick victory.
Marcel vamp-sped to his feet, and grabbed one of the broken table legs, backhanding Mohinder in the face with it, grunting from the exertion.
Mohinder grabbed Marcel in a choke-hold, and Marcel, alarmed, desperately punched at Mohinder's chest in an attempt to get free. Mohinder then gripped Marcel by the shoulders and head-butted him before throwing him through the brick wall behind them, causing him to land on the floor of the next room. Marvel groaned deeply.
Mohinder climbed through the hole in the wall and lunged for Marcel, who continued to punch him, only to be shoved face-first into a large shelf full of dishes. When Mohinder grabbed Marcel to spin him around so they're facing each other, Marcel grabbed a martini shaker and smashed it against Mohinder's head several times. Mohinder once again grabbed Marcel in a choke-hold and pinned him against the shelf, so Marcel, desperate, grabbed an ice scoop and smashed it against Mohinder as well. While he's distracted, Marcel grabbed a frying pan with his free hand and used both to hit Mohinder multiple times across the face.
Méalla was unfortunately, feeling proud of the little runt, at his ferocity. Maybe she'd even step in. Maybe.
Unfortunately, Mohinder grabbed him by the wrists and snapped his arms, causing Marcel to roar in pain before he is thrown against the shelf so hard that he smashed it into a pile of broken wood. Mohinder sees a broken piece of wood and grabbed it before pulling the groaning Marcel to his feet in a choke-hold. However, before he could stake him, Marcel mustered up all the strength he had and tackled Mohinder so hard that they once again broke through the wall and back into the room, where they land at an entertained Tristan and Aya's feet. Marcel crawled across the broken bricks and wood to grab the dropped stake, but Mohinder saw him and kicked him so hard he rolled sideways away from the stake. Marcel kicked Mohinder to get him the time necessary to stand on his feet and began punching Mohinder hard in the face over and over again until Mohinder threw Marcel into a nearby table and smashed it as well.
Finally, Mohinder pulled the weakened Marcel up to his feet, vamped-out, and sank his fangs into Marcel's neck, feeding deeply. Elijah looked extremely concerned and was about to intervene when Hayley stopped him. Méalla stood poised ready to interject but had noticed Hayley holding her arm, to keep her from moving.
Mohinder fed on Marcel for a long moment before he pulled away and vamp-sped Marcel against the wall, pinning him by the throat and holding up the stake in preparation to kill him.
"You fought with honor. Embrace the nobility of this end."
Honor, yada yada.
"I will if you will. Or do you still not know?"
Tristan and Aya looked at them curiously, intrigued by where Marcel was going with this. Méalla started to realize Marcel and Hayley had hitched a plan together.
"You must have tasted it in my blood." Marcel chuckled.
Just then, Mohinder began to look uncomfortable and groaned slightly as he wobbled on his feet.
"Oh, now you're starting to feel it, aren't you? That burning sensation in your gut? Wolf's venom. A going-away gift from me. I may not have beaten you, but you lost all the same."
Smart move, Méalla will admit, but she's not gonna be the one to give him her blood.
Mohinder continued to squirm uncomfortably, gagging slightly from the venom.
"I suggest you make your peace. We're both dead men walking."
Mohinder became furious at this news.
"A desperate ploy! A lie!"
Marcel lifted up the sleeve of his left arm and held it up so he can see the weeping bite wound on his arm, which stunned Mohinder as Marcel laughed weakly in amusement.
Marcel was still laughing at Mohinder when he spun them so Mohinder was the one pinned against the wall. Marcel aimed the stake at Mohinder's own heart before addressing him and the rest of the room.
"I don't know why they want you dead, but clearly they do."
Marcel let go of Mohinder and turned to Aya and Tristan.
"Why else tell me all about his little feeding habits, or give me a taste of his technique when you came into my gym the other day? All I had to do was be observant."
Tristan and Aya looked at Marcel with interest, but Marcel just looks annoyed.
"But, I'm done picking up your bread crumbs. You want him dead? You're gonna have to do it yourself. As far as I can see, the only thing he's done to deserve it is picking his friends poorly."
Marcel, getting even weaker from his injuries, which aren't healing, stumbled and was caught by Hayley, who put his arm around her shoulder to help keep him upright. Marcel coughed as Tristan and Aya shared a significant smile. Tristan walked over to Mohinder, who was also getting weak from the werewolf venom and looked horrified by this revelation. Mohinder started to spit up blood as Tristan cupped his face with his right hand and looked at him sympathetically before patting him on the shoulder and walking past him. Suddenly, Tristan ripped out his heart from behind, causing him to fall dead to the floor. Tristan dropped the heart onto the floor with a splat, and Marcel and Hayley look alarmed. Méalla grew suspicious at this. Why kill his own men when the entire sireline is in danger? He needs all the fighters he can get. Especially ones like Mohinder.
Tristan appeared to be unhappy at first until he finally smiled.
"You chose well! Now, I assure you, he did deserve it. He's been plotting unspeakable crimes against his sworn brothers and sisters. Of course, you couldn't have known. Beating such a worthy opponent is proof of your strength and courage, but your restraint, your refusal to kill without cause, demonstrates a rare integrity. You see, Marcel Gerard... This was the test."
Tristan bent over to pluck Marcel's daylight ring out of Mohinder's pocket and handed it to him.
"Welcome to The Strix."
Tristan took notice of Marcel's increasingly weakened state as he hung on Hayley's shoulders.
"Provided, of course, you survive your own gambit."