Broken Souls

4

Sitting on the edge of Niklaus' couch, Solène wrung her hands. Thinking about what he wanted to talk about made her nervous. Would he ask why she showed up at his place, unannounced after knowing each other less than 72 hours? Other than the truth, she had no answers. Was it wise to tell him the truth? According to earlier events, she seems to be a witch— a siphoner at that. This meant Niklaus couldn't compel her; no one would be able to compel her. That was a light relief. She'd worried about vervain for nothing.

Back to the problem at hand, her eyes glanced to Klaus who was eying her from the arm chair. Should she lie or tell the truth? Her instincts told her to open about it all, but her mind told her that the truth— which sounds insane— would get her killed. He wouldn't even be able to compel her to make sure it was the truth, and it wasn't lost on her how distrustful he is. At this point, she could only hope for the best.

Glancing her over once more, Nik leaned forward in his seat, ankle still resting atop the other knee. "So, what exactly are you, hm?" He ran a hand through his stubble, pondering an answer of his own to the question.

"I'm from another universe!" She blurted out of anxiousness. Fuck. Is he gonna kill me now? Why is he still so attractive, though? "O-okay, wait. I know that sounds crazy." Especially to you, the embodiment of trust issues. "But I swear it's the truth and I'll answer every question you have truthfully. You can't compel me, but you can listen to my heart, right? I'm apparently a siphoner, if you've heard of that before. Also, I'll let you look into my head once we've finished talking."

Niklaus shook his head at the mention of a siphoner, but he could ask about her powers later. "You'll answer my questions truthfully," he echoed thoughtfully. This man couldn't even trust his siblings completely, but his instincts told him to believe her. "Alright, what was your previous name?"

"Lanie. Leanne Walters." She smiled, happy he was going along with the interrogation instead of murdering her. Deep down, she hoped he wouldn't ask too much about her old life. It didn't hold to many fond memories. Especially the last few years she was alive.

"How did you get here?" She could feel his intense gaze on her. It made her want to squirm, but not from being uncomfortable under his gaze.

"I... died. Then, I woke up in this body."

"Died how?" He asked, noticing it made her uneasy. If she answered this, he'd trust her... a little bit.

Her head fell, chin nearly bumping her collar bones. Unconsciously, she started to pick at the skin around her fingers. "I was tired of being there. I was tired of being outcasted, looked at like I was nothing or revolting."

Her words sparked fury in his chest, but also a sense of familiarity. He'd felt similar things over his long life, but for her to make the decision she did... It bubbled sadness in the pits of his stomach.

"Okay, so you died and came here," he moved the conversation forwards. "Why here?"

Raising her head, leaning it to the side, she let out a small laugh. "I wish I knew. Back where I'm from, this world — believe it or not — was a television show. One I watched because I could turn off my brain and just hate or love characters."

"A show? Are you saying that you have knowledge of everything in this world? You learned about everything here from a television program?"

"Yup," she shrugged, lifting her hands as well. "I remember the bigger stuff, maybe some small stuff that stuck, but I wouldn't say I know everything."

Ideas started forming in her head. If she had vast knowledge of this world... no.

Clearing his throat, he leaned back into his chair and rested his forearms on the chairs arms.

"Do you know of my family?"

"Everything that was shown in the show. Your families plot lines were my favorite, and you and your siblings are my favorite characters." Solène felt more relaxed, simply discussing a show she used to watch.

"Oh," a smirk pulled his lips up. "We were your favorites?"

"Yeah, your family didn't appear as much I would have liked though... It was more entertaining than watch Elena and her Salvatore problem." She couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes, and Niklaus laughed. He'd managed to gather as much from her clear disdain of Elena earlier in his front yard; he'd told her as much, too. "She's so... ugh! I could only hate watch her. I enjoyed Bonnie, Caroline, and sometimes Stefan, way more than her. The Mikaelsons are still number one, though." A smile formed on his lips. "It was disappointing you didn't stay longer in the show. You all moved on from this small town and were never seen in the show again."

Humming, Klaus poured himself a glass of blood and watched as Solène had no reaction to it. Interesting. He readied himself to hear a long story, settling into his seat once more. "So, tell me about my family in the show."

In response, she held out her hand. "This would be easier to just show you." Klaus nearly allowed a genuinely smile to pull on his lips at the offer. She was being so open about it all. Sure, she was still nervous because it did indeed sound crazy, but it only made him want to believe her more, surprisingly enough.

Extending his own hand, he placed it on hers. Niklaus entered the young woman's mind and searched for information on his family. He found a girl sitting on a couch, a tv set up in front of her. It was strange to him that her inner self didn't match her outer appearance. Although, he supposed that was what she had originally looked like.

"Shall we watch?" She asked, tapping a hand on the couch beside her.

"Of course," a smirk overtook his lips once more as his filled the space beside Solène. From there, the two spent nearly an hour in her mind watching scenes from the show about the Mikaelson family.

"Honestly, Klaus, you cannot be mad at Finn over something that has yet to happen." Solène found herself exasperated trying to calm down the hybrid.

"Then what of Rebekah? Marcel? Those two called our father to kill me, so they could run off together!"

She cringed at his words. It was not her intention to show him that part of their past, but she accidentally did. "Rebekah should have been the one to tell you. She feels terribly guilty about it, you know." Taking cautious steps, she moved herself closer to the blond. "Klaus, with all this information you can change everything to bring your family back together. Mikael can be killed; you can wake up your siblings and start developing proper sibling relationships with them. We can deal with your mother when she starts moving. It will be hard, especially problems involving your siblings, but it will not be impossible."

"Why should I worry about my siblings when they've all wanted me dead some time or another?" Klaus sneered, downing a glass of bourbon.

"You don't have to." Solène shrugged, much to his surprise. "However, if you want your family back, which I know you do," she eyed him, silently daring him to challenge her. "Then, you'll have to face them head on. Move past everything that's occurred. You all have hurt each other, maybe even wanted one another dead, I can't deny that. But you all also want to be family again. You Mikaelsons need to stop holding so many grudges, let go, and start anew."

Slowly placing a hand on Niklaus' cheek, she whispered, "For you to be a family again, it has to be you who takes the first step." Hastily, she stepped back next to a chair. "Get rid of Mikael and wake your siblings, or wallow in this self isolation because your pride and ego deny you of your family. The choice is yours, Klaus."