SOUL | Elijah Mikaelson [3]

Stefan

Zoya entered the pool area, where Niklaus assumed she was there to meet him. "Love, you missed the climax—" he began, but Stefan suddenly appeared in front of her, saying, "For a brief second, I thought I lost you," and embraced Zoya with concern. She smiled, needing something to ground herself in reality.

Stefan released her, saying earnestly, "I didn't leave you alone intentionally." She chuckled and waved off his concern. Stefan noticed people staring at them with narrowed eyes and silence. Meanwhile, Zoya was focused on something written on a dumpster, squinting to examine its quality.

He tried to take the dumpster lid from her but ended up tugging it out of her surprisingly strong grip. Stefan introduced, "Zoya, meet Klaus," to which she rolled her eyes. Stefan continued, "I know you must be wondering who they are," gesturing towards the disinterested group. Zoya interjected, "No, I'm not." Stefan raised an eyebrow, asking how she knew them, but she deflected with a playful comment about his need for a shower.

Ignoring them, Zoya said, "My sister left her apartment to me here." Stefan grabbed her arm and pulled her back, saying, "Just to be safe, they are Mikael—" "I know, Stefan. Even though they were in the illusion chamber, their memories seem intact." She didn't look at them, but at her dirty hands. Niklaus spoke, "Perfectly enough to know you left the city so we could save you." Zoya added, glancing at Stefan, "Forgot to mention they have a strange way of protecting others, often involving driving them insane." Niklaus countered with a smirk, "Productive."

Stefan saw Rayna Cruz waking up as he approached, quickly killing her again. Clearing his throat to regain their attention, he said, "I'd like to take a shower first." Both Niklaus and Zoya rolled their eyes. Niklaus followed Stefan, discussing an important matter regarding how he knew Zoya. Meanwhile, as she waited for Stefan by the barrels, Zoya noticed Hayley saying something to Elijah before leaving. Their eyes met, and Zoya smiled, raising her eyebrows. Elijah turned to her, his gaze shifting briefly to Aya with a mixture of pity and disgust. "Aya seems to have developed some strange emotions about you," he remarked, finding her prying eyes amusing.

Hearing her sigh, Elijah said, "Or maybe it's just nerves peaking out." He glanced at Aya and nodded. "Not particularly important, but Maximus killed her," he added. Zoya glanced at him, sensing his sincerity, but remained quiet. "He seems to hold some very deep and fresh personal grudges against her," Elijah mused, "That's quite rare." She hummed, and Elijah grew suspicious of her reaction.

Noticing Elijah's scrutinizing gaze, Zoya knew she had given him some clue with her hum. She glanced at a clean corner. "He was supposed to save Jackson," she said weakly, gathering herself. "Along with... everything," she gestured towards Aya with a forced smile. Seeing Elijah struggle to smile, she decided to walk away. "Stefan must be waiting," she glanced back at the gossiping men, "He better be," a hint of jealousy in her tone.

Stefan was applying paste when Zoya turned away, giving him space. "What's this paste?" she asked. "It stops Rayna," he replied. Zoya made coffee for him and chai for herself. "Can I see her sword?" she inquired. "Yup," Stefan nodded, adjusting his shirt, "Done." Zoya found it on the shoe rack, lifting it and looking at him. "Of all places, the shoe rack," she commented, examining the sword.

Taking his coffee, Stefan said, "You live with your father." "Life's odds," she shrugged. "Zoya, I hope you know the truth about him," Stefan began, but she interrupted, "Kids. Yeah, Arian and Xavier. Xavier can be a brat sometimes, but he'll be okay. That's all I can pray." She smiled, recalling her chat with Niklaus earlier. "We often form alliances against bigger villains," she said. Stefan noted her bitter mood towards them.

"Yeah, when you have to manage one-on-one relationships, brothers are good, but otherwise, it's a big NO," Stefan agreed. "Are you coming along on the trip with me?" he asked. "I haven't decided, and besides, you're not leaving today. You haven't been around here," Zoya replied. "Cami's a bartender and now a vampire. Want to pay her a visit?" Stefan suggested. "I will, but after I get my stuff from the Mikaelsons," Zoya showed him their home. "There. You get your stuff, I'll go look around," she shrugged.